1851 navy

[newly obrien]

no laughing now,i am new to the black powder scene and cant seem to make my latest buy, an 1851 navy by pietta go bang!i have cleaned the cylinder and the nipples,loaded it per chart that it came with and am using #10 caps! the caps go off but the powder does not!nipple is clear and have tested the powder it is good! any feedback from more experienced shooters will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

Are you using actual Black Powder or a substitute?

If the nipples are clear and the caps go off Real Black Powder should ignite.

If your caps are old or weak they may not ignite substitutes.
I'd try real Black Powder if your not using it, and or fresh caps.

 

[perldog007]

Did you pop a couple of caps on each cylinder before loading to clear out any oil or other residue?

Have you checked your powder to see if it ignites ( get experienced help with that.... ) ?

 

[Panzerschwein]

Pop some caps on the nipples minus powder and ball. That'l clean up right.

Next, invest in some good authentic black powder such a Goex, Swiss, or Elephant. The substitutes do not give as reliable ignition. Next, make sure to use new good condition snug caps.

 

[BullRunBear]

Welcome to the forum. No laughing is called for.

Please let us know what powder you are using. If it tests good, as you mentioned, and the caps go off, the gun should fire. Double check the nipples for a blockage and/or oil or grease. I use a pipe cleaner to make sure the nipples are clear and dry.

Jeff

 

[Tommygunn]

You might try straightening out a paper clip and poking it through the holes in the nipples. That will poke out any debris that might be plugging them.
Are they drilled through? I bizarre manufacturing error... but something is likely blocking the flame.

 

[newly obrien]

thats interesting tommygunn,the back side of the nipples arent big enough for a paperclip! had to use a guitar string! maybe the hole on the back side of the nipple was manufactured too small!

 

[dickydalton]

thats interesting tommygunn,the back side of the nipples arent big enough for a paperclip! had to use a guitar string! maybe the hole on the back side of the nipple was manufactured too small!

You didn't dry fire it a bunch before you tried to shoot it did you?

 

[Crawdad1]

Buy a wrench with a pick, then try again. Might as well you're going to need it soon or later if you keep shooting your revolver and run the pick through both holes, the top and bottom, of each nipple.

This is a good one,

http://www.oldsouthfirearms.com/nipplewrenchdeluxe.aspx

 

[Noz]

thats interesting tommygunn,the back side of the nipples arent big enough for a paperclip! had to use a guitar string! maybe the hole on the back side of the nipple was manufactured too small!

Small is good. I'm with everyone else. You have a blockage of some sort. If the caps fire and the main charge does not there has to be some physical impediment stopping the nipple flame from reaching the powder.

 

[Crawdad1]

thats interesting tommygunn,the back side of the nipples arent big enough for a paperclip! had to use a guitar string! maybe the hole on the back side of the nipple was manufactured too small!

The nipple is fine and the hole on the back side or bottom of the nipple is supposed to be small concentrating the primer charge into the chamber. A paperclip ain't going to do the job.

 

[Bullseye]

Once you have your holes in the nipples cleared ...
I have found that CCI No 11 magnum primers work every time for me but the standard No 11 sometimes go off without igniting the powder. One in about 12 average.
Next can of primers for me will definitely be CCI No 11 magnum.

You should pinch them a little between your fingers so they stay snug on the nipples when you push them on as far as you can with your thumb.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Once you have your holes in the nipples cleared ...
I have found that CCI No 11 magnum primers work every time for me but the standard No 11 sometimes go off without igniting the powder. One in about 12 average.
Next can of primers for me will definitely be CCI No 11 magnum.

You should pinch them a little between your fingers so they stay snug on the nipples when you push them on as far as you can with your thumb.

Pinching is generally not recommended.

It can leave a space open at the back of the nipple that can cause a chainfire.

Properly fitting caps will not need to be pinched.

 

[J-Bar]

What brand of powder?

What size granulation?

How did you test the powder?

Are you putting anything in the chamber besides powder ( like oil or grease or something)?

 

[Jim K]

I am sure this does not apply here, but persons new to black powder sometimes use other powders by mistake. Bullseye, for example, is gray-black, and store clerks have been known to sell it when a customer asks for powder for "my revolver". Fortunately, ordinary percussion caps will often fail to ignite smokeless powder, else there might be more accidents that we hear of today.

Jim

 

[Tommygunn]

buy a wrench with a pick, then try again. Might as well you're going to need it soon or later if you keep shooting your revolver and run the pick through both holes, the top and bottom, of each nipple.

This is a good one,

http://www.oldsouthfirearms.com/nipplewrenchdeluxe.aspx

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
what he said!!

 

[Hellgate]

Are you sure you are putting enough powder in the chamber for the ball to modestly compress it? If the powder (especially the subs like Pyrodex) isn't just right up to the flash hole it might not go off.

 

[Prairie Dawg]

Best not to pinch caps.
Best to buy nipple/caps that fit correctly.
Replace your nipples with Treso or Slix and get Remington #10 or Remington #11.

By the way, there is no standard for size.......all #11s or all #10s are not the same.

Read this treatise on nipples:
http://www.theopenrange.net/forum/index.php?topic=9093.0

Use a nipple pick, like the one in this wrench:
TR1260 TRADITIONS REVOLVER NIPPLE WRENCH at Dixie Gun Works

--Dawg

 

[Bullseye]

I stand corrected on the "pinch" issue. I appreciate that and glad it was mentioned for both the new shooter and myself. Thanks

 

[Noz]

I have been shooting cap and ball for several years now. Multiple matches a month with them as my sole revolvers.
I have never used, owned, or felt the need for a nipple pick.

Good Lord, I hope he is not putting Bullseye in it.

 

[dickydalton]

You didn't dry fire it a bunch before you tried to shoot it did you?

The OP never answered this. If the "backside" of the nipples is what is closest to him, that would be the cone that you put the cap on. If he, in newby zeal, dry fired it too many times after he got it he may have smashed the nipples enough to make the "holes" too small to let them work properly. I think he needs to answer pretty soon just to make everyone feel better!

 

[midland man]

Good Lord, I hope he is not putting Bullseye in it. so noz where did that comment stem from??

 

[Crawdad1]

Good Lord, I hope he is not putting Bullseye in it. so noz where did that comment stem from??

Jim k's comment above, which might be dead on. Given the OP's description he just might be mistakenly using smokeless.

 

[midland man]

okay well I figured this came from the Naa cap & ball revolvers that were supposedly an exception!

 

[MEHavey]

IF:

- The Op can see daylight through the nipple (however small the vent)....
- The Op has cleaned/dried out the inside of the cylinder from any residual oil.....
- The Op is having the caps actually fire....
- The OP had snapped a round of those caps on empty cylinders to clean/clear any residual problem...
......AND....
- The OP is using real 3Fg Black powder...

Then it literally cannot fail to fire.

Since we have not heard from the OP in 48 hours... it is my sincere hope that he was in fact using black powder.

.